Can't Get My Mind Off You
by cathyis
Summary: Lorelai and Luke begin their relationship days before Liz's wedding when Luke asks out Lorelai. Rory comes home when Jess is back in town.   Java Junkie   Lit
1. Chapter 1

"Lukkkke! I've got a surprise for you!," Lorelai Gilmore called throughout Luke's Diner. The door slammed shut and Lorelai sat on a stool at the counter.

"Luke?," she called out again. Luke Danes came out of the kitchen. His baseball was on backwards and there was stubble on his handsome face. He was wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Hey Lorelai. You said something about a surprise?" Luke said, while he poured her coffee in a big mug and slide it across the counter towards her.

"Well, I was – thanks – and I got you, a birthday present!"

"What? My birthday's not yet!"

"Yeah, but I wanted to get you this now, it was on sale! I mean, I can't pass up on a sale, come on Luke!" She sipped on her coffee, then placed a small pink bag on the counter.  
Luke gave her a look.

"Pink?"

"Only thing I had. Now open it!" Luke fumbled with the ribbon for a moment, and took out the pink tissue paper. He pulled out a cell phone.

"A cellphone? You got me a **cellphone**?" He sent Lorelai a blank look.

"Hey! At least it isn't pink mister!" Lorelai told him. She leaned over and tried take it from him.

"Here let me show you how it works. Luke, phone please!" Lorelai told him. But he pulled the phone towards him.

"I can figure out how it works, come on, it's a phone. I'm not a idiot Lorelai." Luke played with the cell phone for a couple of minutes, while Lorelai sat there, starring at him and drinking her coffee.

"You don't know how to work it, do you?" Lorelai asked him. He hit the phone lightly and placed it on the counter. He rested his elbows on the counter, propping his head on with his hands.

"It's cause there's so many damn buttons! I mean, there's a button with a phone that's green, and there's a red phone button, one that says mail , the numbers, and more on the side! Can't there be a button to turn it on and off, and the numbers?"

"Luke, here, let me show you." She leaned in a took the phone from him. "This button is for your inbox, this is on, this is off, here's the menu."

"What's this?"

"Umm, that's one of the games."

"Games? It has games?!" Luke said unbelievably.

"What? That's nothing Luke! Here," she said, sticking her hand out, palm up, "Pass the phone."

"Why?" Luke asked. Lorelai rolled her eyes and pushed her hand out a bit farther towards him.

"Phone, Luke." He gave in and passed the phone to her. He watched as she pushed some buttons and the phone made some beeping noises. She gave it back to him with a smile.

"There," she said, "I programmed my number in speed dial. All you have to do it press 1 and push that button," she said, pointing to a button. "And you'll be talking me! Now I can call and have my coffee hot and ready."

"I always have coffee ready for you." Luke looked at her with a soft smile. Their eyes met for a moment and Luke held her gaze. Lorelai felt her heart race and her palm become warmer on her empty mug. She looked down at the counter.

"Ummm, I better get going. I'm going to call Rory, I have to talk to her." She got up and grabbed her purse. She flashed him a quick smile.

"Coffee to go, pleasssseee?" Lorelai pleaded to Luke. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Lorelai, you've already two cups of coffee here, and probably a half a dozen at work! So no, you'll be killing yourself if you had another." Lorelai put her hand on her chest, and pretended to look shock.

"Why, I've only had three cups today!" Lorelai cried. She pouted for a moment, until Luke gave in and filled a cup for Lorelai. She grinned at Luke took it from his hand. Their hands brushed and Lorelai blushed. Luke smiled sweetly at her and could not stop thinking about her beautiful she looked in that moment. He just wanted to reach over and kiss her, like he had been longing for years. He was concentrating on the thought of kissing her so much that he found himself leaning towards her over the counter.

"I –umm, I have to go.." Lorelai stuttered out, looking bewildered. Luke realized what was happening and quickly pulled back. 'Oh, um, yeah. Um, see you, later.. I guess." Luke mumbled. Lorelai looked at him once more, then walked away and went outside. She sat down on the steps of the diner and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?" said Rory Gilmore. She tried to balance her three binders and the phone at once.

"Rory!" cried Lorelai, "It's been too long!" She played with the drawstring on her black skirt. Rory rolled her eyes and put down her binders. Rory fell back her bed and sighed.

"Mom, I know I haven't seen you as much this year, but I talked to you a couple of hours ago!" Rory pushed her hair back, out of her face. "So what's new in Stars Hollow?"

Lorelai bit her bottom lip. "Well, Liz is getting married in a couple of days, and guess whose back?"

"Who?" Rory asked, thinking. Liz's wedding,… meaning.. She gasped. "Jess?" Rory cried out.

"Yeah huh! I can see him now. He's doing something on the bench."

"Knowing him, he's probably reading."Lorelai nodded, though she knew Rory couldn't see her. "So what does this mean? Like, will you be coming home this weekend?" There was a pause. Rory sighed.

"I don't know. It would be awkward, right? Yeah it would awkward." Rory said, answering her own question. "Should I?"

"Well, I want you too, so I can see you. But I'll see you Friday, so if you really don't want to, then stay. Besides, you have a lot of packing to do still."

Rory looked around her dorm room. Her mom was right, she _did_ have a lot of packing to do. Besides, avoiding Jess was probably for the best. But, it would help answer the questions that had been going through her head lately.

"Rory, hun?" Her mom said, breaking Rory's thoughts.

"Umm, how about I see how much packing I get done, then I'll tell you later?"

Lorelai stood got up from the steps. She straighten out her skirt with one hand.  
"So I'll talk to later? Soon?" She said, giving a light laugh, which made Rory smile.

"Definitely. Love you!"

"Bye hun!" Lorelai shut her cellphone and put it in her purse. She was about to walk off to work when Luke came out of the Diner.

"Lorelai!" He said nervously. He had his hands stuck in his back pockets and he look as though he wanted to run back inside.

"Hey Luke, I was just about to go to the Inn." She pointed to the direction of it with her free hand. Luke nodded and came down the steps towards her.

"Umm, I was wondering. Your working hard at the Inn, getting it ready and all and you probably want a break.."

"Oooh," Lorelai started, interrupting him, "Yes, I need a break from everything, I've been so busy. But, you have to come by and see the Inn! I'll give you a official 'investors tour' since you're a investor." Luke waited for her to finish before he started again. "Oh sorry, you were saying something?"

"Well," Luke started again. He took his hands out of his pockets. He could feel some sweat on his forehead. Why did he have to be this nervous? "Liz's wedding is coming up, and I was wondering if you'd," he paused and tried to get it out, "if you'd go with me."

Lorelai looked at him. "Like,.. like a date?"

"Umm, well if you want. Or we could go as friends, if that's better for you." He felt like smacking himself in the face. He sounded like such a idiot! Lorelai looked into his eyes. A date. With Luke. It sounded weird, but the thought of going on a date somehow didn't.

She smiled at him. "Yeah.. I'd like that. Meet you here Friday?" Luke took a breath of relief. He didn't even realize that he had been holding his breathe. He felt much better now.

"Yeah, Friday, four " He started to go back in as Lorelai turned to walk away. "Oh!" he called out to her, "It's medieval theme, by the way." Lorelai smiled at him and waved, taking a sip of coffee. Luke smiled back and went inside.

So he had a date, with Lorelai Gilmore. Finally. He had been putting off asking her out for a long time. _'I wonder how that will go..'_ He thought, walking back behind the counter.


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N Sorry for the short chapters. Will try to make them longer. First few will be shorter though, I can tell you that. But hey, it's my first fan fiction.  
Also thanks for the reviews so far – continue, please! D**

Rory sighed and looked around her room from her bed. One side of the room was packed and clean, Paris's of course. The other, hers, was exactly same as it had been all year. Usually she was on top of cleaning and packing, but lately she had been busy, and had a lot of her mind.

She stood up, and grabbed one of Paris's empty boxes. She might as well starting packing, whether or not she was going home, since she had to be out by Monday. Rory packed away her text books and the books she read during that school year in one box. Quickly the box filled up and Rory had to get another box to load up.

An hour later Rory took a look around her changed room. Now both side was packed and cleaned. All she had to get was the mattress and furniture. But if she packed those, she wouldn't have a bed to sleep on. Maybe she should go home. She could just ignore Jess for the weekend, couldn't she? But she wanted to forget him, and she didn't.

With her hands stuck in her jean pockets, and turned around. She just wasn't sure what to do. Go home, stay here, see Jess, ignore Jess, go out and ignore it all. It was driving her crazy.

"Okay, I'm leaving!" Janice called out throughout the dorm room. Rory went out to the living room to see everything in plastic and Janice rolling a big suitcase.

"Now?" asked Rory, "I thought you were leaving Friday..?" She has a puzzlingly look on her face. Janice leaned the suitcase against the wall and walked over to Rory with her arms out to give her a hug. Rory came closer to her and hugged her.

"Well, I want to spend time with my family before I have to get a job.." They pulled apart and Janice smiled at Rory, "I'm sure you know what I mean." Rory gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Rory said, sitting down on the plastic-covered couch.

"Okay, well I'll see you? I'll miss you! By the way, there's a drink in the fridge, all the left over alcohol drinks" Janice gave a last smile and walked out the door, dragging her black suitcase behind her.

Rory took a deep breathe. Tanna and Janice were gone, and Paris was out with Professor Flemming. _All_ alone… Okay. That was it, she would go home. She wouldn't ignore Jess, or purposely bump into him. She would just go. _'I really need that drink..'_ thought Rory. And she got up to go to the fridge.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the Dragonfly Inn and hung her purse on the jacket rack. She reviewed the to-do list Michel had wrote for her. Lorelai went into the kitchen, where she made more coffee."More coffee? How much have you already had?" Sookie asked jokingly, coming into the kitchen. Lorelai smiled and looked at her, sipping her coffee.

"Just some at Lukes." The mentioning of his name made her heart beat a bit faster. "Guess what?" She said, looking at Sookie. Sookie turned around and looked at her with a spatula in her hand.

"What sweetie?" Lorelai looked down and grinned. "Luke asked me to Liz's wedding!" She heard the spatula hit the floor and a gasp, and glanced up at her friend. Sookie had her hands on her cheeks and a big grin plastered on her face.

"Oh.. my.. god!" Sookie shrieked, pointing at her friend. She shrieked again and hurried over to Lorelai to hug her.

"Sookie,.. your killing me here.." Lorelai said, laughing lightly. Sookie, still grinning, stepped back and looked at her.

"You said yes, right?" Sookie said, her grin disappearing.

"Of course I did!" She watched Sookie's face relax, then took a sip of coffee.

"So,.. did he kiss you?" She walked over the stove, picking up her spatula. Sookie glanced back at her. Lorelai leaned against the counter.

"Nope, just asked me out. But it seemed like he was going to this morning, at the Diner."

"Really!" Sookie said, her back turned to Lorelai, "That's so romantic.. Diner Love!" Lorelai laughed at this and set the empty mug on the counter to be wash.

"Okay, well I have to go.. work." Lorelai told her. She walked out the kitchen and hear Sookie call out, "And daydream about Luke, right?" with a laugh. But it was partly true. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Asking her out, and Friday, how it would turn out. She really was excited, but she was nervous too. Her and Luke had been friends for years. And now, it was all going to change, whether the date went well or not. When she thought about it, it already had changed, with Luke's words, asking her out. That's what scared her the most.

* * *

Lorelai was sitting at home, flipping the channels. She was bored. All day she had been thinking about Luke and Friday. But when she was coming home, she almost went to Luke's, but she didn't know what to say. She had became nervous at the sight of him, because he wasn't just Luke, he was _Luke._ This _really_ handsome and hot guy.

The sound of a car distracted her thoughts. Lorelai left the living, t.v on and everything and ran outside.

"Rory!" She cried out from the porch. Rory opened the door, with a big smile on her face and hurried over to her mother.

"Mom! What are you doing out here?" She asked, hugging her tightly. Lorelai pulled back and looked at her daughter.

"Can't a mother greet her own daughter when she's come home from university?" She said with a shocked look on her face. "Come on." Lorelai pulled her by the arm inside.

"Wait!" Rory cried, trying to loosen her mom's grip, "What about the bags?"

"Tomorrow!" Said Lorelai, still dragging her by the arm. Rory finally got out of her mom's grip and turned around.

"I like to be organized, as you already know. So I'm getting my bags!" Lorelai sat down on the couch and listening to the front door open and shut. _'Rory's home,'_ Lorelai thought, _'She'll help me with this whole Luke thing..'_ She slouched down on the couch and waited.

Once Rory had brought in her bags, Lorelai ushered her over to the couch.

"Now," Lorelai started, sitting Rory down on the couch, "We have to celebrate you completing you first year of Yale university!" She said this with a big happy grin.

"Mom…" Rory wanted to complain for she was tired, but she decided to let her mom go ahead with her plans. "Okay, so what are you thinking of?"

Lorelai clapped her hands. "Movie night. Godfather one, two and three. Lots of junk food… What do you think?" Of course, Rory loved the idea.

"So I'll go to the movie store, and you go to Luke's?" Rory asked. Lorelai's heart jumped a beat at the mention of Luke's name.

"Umm, how about we skip Luke's and I'll go to Doose's?" Lorelai asked, feeling nervous of the thought of seeing Luke.

"Skip Luke's on a movie night?" Rory said with a laugh, she turned and looked at her mother with disbelief. She saw that her mom was looking fidgety. "What.. is there something your not telling me?" Now she was feeling nervous.

Lorelai waved it off, but Rory wouldn't leave it alone. "Come on, it's got to be _something_ if it involves avoiding Luke's." Lorelai got up and picked up her sweater, putting it on.

"Find. I'll go to Luke's, and I'll tell you what that thing is after, okay?" She sighed, and asked herself why she didn't want to tell Rory. She knew why, because Rory would ask her how she felt about Luke. And that would mean admitting all her feelings she had been hiding.

** [A/N Okay I'm sorry if this chapter sucks. And for it being short. I know it's not one of my best writing pieces, not that any of you have read my others.. Anywho, I'm unsure about this chapter. Please, please, please review and tell me how I can improve! **


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N Third chapter! Woot! Okay, so I'm going to try not to rush it & trying to make them longer. The dates not going to be on like the fourth chapter. I have something else planned, haha. **

Rory walked down the street and turned at Stars Hollow Video store. She was about to go in, when Jess came out.

"Jess." She said in disbelief. She had known he was in town, but to see him the today, she got home. Rory felt her heart race and she continued to stare at him. Seeing him answer some questions, of how she felt.

"Rory.. h-hi." Jess said, like he couldn't believe it was her. They stared at each other for what felt like a long time.

"I...I... videos." Rory stammered out, pointing at the video store. Then, out of impulse, she ran pasted him to the direction of her house.

"Rory! Wait!" She heard him call in the distant behind her. But she didn't stop; she didn't want to face him. It was to hard, and she felt unprepared to deal with him.

Soon, she reached home and collapsed on the couch. "I'm a mess." She said, thinking aloud. Rory looked down at her clothes; they were wet from the puddles she had ran through. She sighed and tilted her head back, so she could see the ceiling. _'Oh god..'_ She thought. What a fool she had made of herself, running away like that. But seeing him.. Rory felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of his image. He had looked so good, while she, well she didn't.

_'Why did I run?' _Rory asked herself. She knew the answer already. She didn't want to be hurt again. Like before, when he ran and left, she gotten hurt, and she wanted to avoid dealing with that pain all over again. Yet she had a part of her, that wanted to see him, talk to him, touch him.

Instead of continuing to think about him, she changed and got ready for the movies. _'So much for Godfather one, two and three... We'll just have to go with Casablanca and these others'_ Rory thought to herself, setting a couple of DVDs down by the TV. Then she sat down on the couch with a book, waiting for her mom, and trying hard not to think of Jess.

Lorelai entered Luke's diner quietly, and sat down on a stool. It's was pretty empty this time of night, with only a couple other people in the diner. She waited for Luke to come out, thinking of what she would say.

"Luke." She said stiffly, like she hadn't expected him. He didn't show any signs of nervousness, he was just calm. _'How is that?' _Lorelai wondered to herself. God, he looked so good in those flannel shirts. How come she never noticed it? She thought back on all the years they had known each other. Maybe she had, but she just didn't do anything about it. Yeah, that was probably it. It was strange, that one day she didn't have this strong feelings for Luke, and the next day, after he asked her out, she did. Like it had opened her eyes, and helped her notice him.

"Lorelai?" he asked, breaking her thoughts. She was startled by his voice. Lorelai looked at him, and handsome stubble on his face. She smiled at the thought, then realized Luke was looking at her.

"Uhh, yeah I'll have two cheeseburgers and some fries." She said, dropping her eyes down to the counter. Luke turned and went into the kitchen. "And coffee!" She called after him, leaning a bit over the counter. She pulled out her wallet and left the amount due on the counter, by the cashier.

In minutes he came back out and handed her a bag and cups of fresh coffee. But he didn't hand them to her. Instead, he came them on his side of the counter. When Lorelai reached for them, Luke pulled them back towards him a bit more, and looked at her.

"You're holding my coffee hostage!" She said, in a shocked tone, pointing at the cup of coffee. He ignored her and continued to watch her.

"What's with you? You've lately seemed so.. I don't know.. stiff!" He saw her eyes drop to the counter and it made him sad to think that she was ignoring him. "Is this because of the date?" Luke asked carefully, "We can forget if that's what you want." He tried to hide his disappointment, like he had hidden his love for her all these years.

Lorelai's head jerked up and she looked him, sad that he thought she wanted to cancel the date. The date she had been thinking about none stop since he first asked her.

"No Luke! That's not it! Please, I don't want to cancel the date." When she said this, Luke felt like the happiest person on the planet. 

"Then what is it..?" With his eyes starring into hers, he asked her to continue, to explain.  
Lorelai shifted in her seat.

"First, can I have my food? I have a feeling I may be leaving a quick exit," she said with a small smile. Luke pushed the bag of food and coffees towards her. He didn't care, he just wanted her to explain.

"Well, it's just, I.. I haven't been able to.." Lorelai looked down at the counter, as he waited for her to continue. "I haven't been able to sort through all of this feelings I'm having." At this, she looked up at him. Their eyes meet and Lorelai's heart raced. There they were again, those feelings. With that, she grabbed the food and coffee and hurried out of there.

Luke stood behind the counter, smiling to himself. So she had feelings for him. Obviously, they weren't horrible for she hadn't cancelled the date. The date that he could hardly wait for. Each day hadn't seemed to pass fast enough.

Lorelai sat sipping her coffee, thinking about what she had just done. She had admitted that she had feelings about Luke, to Luke himself. And she hadn't even told Rory yet! Thinking of Rory, Lorelai got out of the jeep and walked to Stars Hollow Video. She went inside, expecting to find Rory.

Lorelai checked the shelves. To her surprise, Godfather one, two and three were sitting of the shelf in a row. She picked them up and rented them out at the cashier. Where was Rory then? She thanked the clerk and walked outside. As she made her way to the jeep, Lorelai looked across to the Gazebo and up the street. 

"If you looking for Rory, she went home," said a familiar voice, coming from behind her. Lorelai turned to see Jess. 

"Jess Mariano," Lorelai said, "So we meet again… What's this about Rory?" She had recently come to the fact that she didn't like Jess that much, because of the way he hurt Rory. And now that he was back, Lorelai felt very uneasy.

Jess pointed in the direction of Lorelai's house.

"She ran home. Don't know why. I say hi and she left." Jess looked at Lorelai, and saw that she disliked him for leaving, and he looked down at the ground. "Well, I got to go…" And with that Jess walked off. Lorelai glared at him walking away. She didn't trust his words, and believed that he had said something else to set her off running. But instead of telling him that, she got in her jeep and drove home.  
"Rory!" Lorelai called, walking in the house.

"Mom! Sorry I didn't get the movies," Rory called back from her room. Lorelai slipped off her shoes and made her way the to kitchen.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked her again. She set the food and movies down on the table. Rory came out of her room and took a coffee from her mom.

"May be cold, sorry." Lorelai quickly told her, pointing at it, "Got.. distracted." Rory gave her a look.

"Sorry I didn't get the movies… I… ran into Jess." She looked at her mom to see her reaction, but her face hadn't changed. She looked like she was waiting for her continue, with something else.

"I know. I did too," Lorelai told her. Now Lorelai looked at her daughter to see _her_ reaction. She looked a bit shocked.

"What he say?" Rory asked curiously. She sipped her coffee, waiting for her mothers answer.

"Just that you two said hi to each other, then you ran. Is that true, or is he lying?" Rory shook her head, finishing off her coffee.

"Yeah, I ran." Rory said this looking down. "That's why I had no time to get the movies, I was about to walk in, and he came out. If I went in, he would have followed me…" Lorelai looked at her and pulled her in for a hug.

"I thought I was over him…" Rory said, wrapping her arms Lorelai.

Lorelai looked at her, and smiled. "Come on. Let's go watch movies." Rory pulled back and smiled at her mom. She had missed her terribly this year, and she was glad she was home. Even if it meant dealing with her feelings.

They went into the living with the food and movies. Rory opened the bag of Luke's food, while Lorelai popped in the DVD.

"You know, we should really buy this movies, since we watch them so much," Lorelai said, thinking aloud. Rory laughed, and nodded.

"Hey mom, what was that thing with Luke? You were all edgy and nervous about seeing him." Lorelai came and sat down beside her, taking a couple fries.

"He asked me out," Lorelai said. She couldn't help smiling, as she looked over at Rory to see her reaction. Rory gasped, and had a huge grin on her face.

"No way! What you say?" She asked quickly, eager to know her mothers answer.

"Yes, of course! What did you think I'd say?" 

"Well you could have said no, but I wasn't sure. You feel that way about him?" Lorelai looked straight ahead at the starting movie.

"You do… don't you?" Rory said, with a laugh. "Oh my god, Mom! Since when?"  
Lorelai could still feel Rory's eyes on her, so she kept her eyes on the TV.

"Since… well I guess I've always had some feelings for him. I just never… did anything. But since he's asked me out… to Liz's wedding by the way, they've all been coming out, you know?" She quickly looked at Rory, and saw the smile on her face. She couldn't help but smile herself.

"I'm so excited!" Lorelai said in a girlish voice, "You have to help me pick something out. Some medieval."

"Medieval?" Rory asked, glancing over at the TV screen.

"That's what Luke said," Lorelai told her, taking a bite out of her burger. "Mmmmm."   
Rory smiled at the thought of Jess in a medieval costume.

"So, Jess?" Lorelai said, swallowing. "You going to ignore him or face him?" She turned and looked at her daughter, who was looking down, thinking.

"I'm going to have to face, or else I'm just going to drive myself crazy!" She laughed lightly, even though it wasn't that funny. She looked over at her mom, but she wasn't paying attention.

Lorelai was looking over at the shelves, where a bunch of old magazines, sew tools and nail polish sat. She looked over at Rory with a small smile.

"How about… I paint your nails?" Lorelai asked Rory happily. Rory looked over at the old nail polish.

"Okay!" Rory said, getting up to get the bottles. "We have red, black, purple and blue."

"No pink?" Lorelai asked. Rory looked back and saw one more one other bottle. She picked it up, and examined it.

"Oh yeah, that too. You want pink?" Rory asked, holding the bottle out to her. Lorelai took it and put it on the table.

"It's okay, I'm not much of a pink person. I'll take… purple." She pick the tiny purple bottle out from the others. "Toes first, kay?"

Rory nodded and set the rest of the nail polish down. "I'll take… red. Because I feel bad, from some reason." She grinned at her mom. "Should we shut off the movie?" She asked her. Lorelai looked at her.

"Turn off the Godfather? Never!" She laughed and opened the red bottle, applying some to Rory's big toenail.

Two hours later, Rory and Lorelai were asleep on the couch, as the credits rolled on. It had been a good night, Luke was happy, Rory had seen Jess, and Lorelai and Rory were home together again.

**[A/N Okay, you guys like this chapter? I do. Review please! Hope to get another one up soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**[A/N Sorry for it being so long since a update! I took a life guarding course for a couple of weeks and that required a lot of studying time! But it was worth it, for I passed! Yay! And finally updated. Hope you guys like this chapter! Please review! **

Sunlight streamed through the windows, blinding Lorelai as she opened her eyes. She yawned and turned over on the couch. Lorelai pushed her messy hair out of her face and pulled the cashmere blanket up to her neck, closing her eyes.

"Mom! Wake up." She felt a slight push and opened her eyes to see Rory standing over her dressed and wide awake.

"Why…?" Lorelai said sleepily, shrugging her off. "What time is it?" Rory sat down on the end of the couch and looked at her mom.

"Almost 9. Come on. If you get up now, I'll take you to Luke's."

Lorelai gasped. "Nine? You woke me up before nine?"

"Up!" Rory pulled the blanket off her.

Lorelai pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and looked at Rory.  
"Will you buy me a doughnut with extra sprinkles?" She smiled like a little girl.

"And a coffee too if your good" she said jokingly. Lorelai yawned again and stood up, shrugging a blanket off her shoulders.

"My favourite daughter!" Lorelai said with a smile. Rory stood up and pushed her in the direction of the stairs.

"Now go get dressed!"

Lorelai started up the stairs, glancing at Rory and rolling her eyes. "Yes _mom_!" She had a silly grin on her face, as she continued up the stairs.

SPACER! 

15 minutes later, Lorelai came down in a black skirt and a light blue v-neck shirt. She wanted to look good when seeing Luke, but effortless. Like she looked amazing in anything she just threw on.

"Okay, let's go get coffee!" Lorelai called throughout the house as she came downstairs. Rory came out of the kitchen.

"You ready?" Rory asked.

"For anything that comes my way. Come on. I need coffee." She tugged on Rory's arm, trying to pull her towards the door. Rory pulled away and walked back to her room.

"One second! I need my book."

Lorelai pouted and put on her black shoes. She stood by the door waiting. Rory hurried over, slipping into her shoes.

"Okay, to Luke's!" Rory said enthusiastically, holding the door open. Out they both walked to the jeep.

SPACER

They had parked the jeep, and were now walking towards the entrance of Luke's diner. Lorelai swung her purse lightly at her side, and Rory was reading the introduction of her book.

"You know.. Lorelai said, thinking aloud. "I'd like to try skiing."

This caught Rory's attention, and made her look up.

"You?" She asked, "Skiing?"

Lorelai nodded, and looked at her daughter. "Yeah, you know, it looks fun how they go shoop, shoop, shoop down the hills."

Rory laughed and smiled, as she walked up the steps. "Shoop, shoop, shoop?"  
She paused at the door to look at her mother.

"Well I've never been skiing, but if I did, I'd imagine that's what it would sound like, going down the hill."

Over behind the counter, Luke was watching Lorelai. He thought she might avoid him again, especially after last night. He was glad she wasn't, for he couldn't bear it. And last night had made him so happy, to know she had feelings for him.

Luke took the coffee pot and walked over to their table. He could hear her rambling on about something. As much as her rambling annoy him, he missed it when she wasn't there.

"Hey," he greeted them. Lorelai looked up, and smiled nervously at Luke.

"Hi.." Lorelai said softly. Luke held the coffee pot up for her to see.

"Coffee?" He asked, still looking at her. She nodded and looked down at the coffee being poured into her mug. She studied his hand. It looked so _strong_, like there wasn't a thing in the world it couldn't lift.

"So, what's new with you too?" He glanced at Rory, was smiling as she watched her mom and Luke. They were so cute! She grinned at Luke and held out her mug, showing she wanted him to pour coffee into it.

"Mom wants to be a skier." Rory stated. Lorelai's mouth dropped a little and she glanced Rory, giving her a look that said 'hey-don't-tell him-_that!_' But now that it was said, she would just have to go along with it.

Luke laughed and looked over a Lorelai. "A skier? Now that wouldn't be safe."

"Hey! I could ski!" Lorelai said, trying to defend herself, but she couldn't help laughing a little.

Rory grinned and sipped her coffee. She didn't want to interrupt, but she really wanted to get going to the book store. She didn't want to be here if Jess came down, because the next time she talked to him, she didn't want to really be in front of everyone.

"Okay," Rory said, interrupting Luke and Lorelai's little.. whatever it was. It wasn't exactly flirting, or a conversation. More of them just gazing into each others eyes, caught it the moment, all giggly and happy.

"I'm going to get going. Can I get this to go, and a doughnut?"

Luke obviously still had his mind on Lorelai, as he mumbled yeah and poured her more coffee, then walked back to the counter.

Rory chuckled to herself and smiled. "I'll be right back," Rory said, standing up and walking over to the counter with her coffee.

"Hey Luke, can I get this to go?" Luke smiled at her and put the coffee into a to-go cup. He slid it towards her over the counter.

"That all?" He asked, glancing over at Lorelai, drinking her coffee. Rory pointed to the doughnuts and Luke handed her one.

"Thanks," She told him, as she walked back to her mom. She picked up her book and slipped it under her arm. Behind her, Jess came downstairs, rolling up his sleeves. Rory glanced over her shoulder and saw him. Her heart started beating faster, like it was trying to bust through her rib cage.

"Hey hey!" You can't leave me!" Lorelai said, her hand on Rory's arm, trying to make her sit down. Rory smiled and edged closer to the door.

"Mom, you'll be fine with Luke! I'll see you later. **I'll be at the bookstore.**" She said the last sentence much louder, and looked over at Jess. He was watching her with an intense look on his face.

SPACER

Rory looked through the book shelves for what seemed like the millionth time. She was waiting to see if Jess was going to come or not.

Rory glanced at the clock, it had been about twenty minutes since she had left Luke's. She already had picked at more then enough books to last her the next two weeks.

_'Where is he?'_ Rory thought to herself, _"Is he even going to bother coming? Does he even want to see me?'_ She asked herself these questions repeatively, but she never found answer. Rory sighed and was about to take her books to the counter, when she heard the door open. She glanced up, to see Jess looking down the aisle at her. 

Rory sucked in her breath and held it. This was it. This was the moment that would most likely determine her and Jess's future. Whether they would be together or apart.

She watched Jess walked closer, until he was about 2 feet away. She let her breath out and looked him in the eyes.

"Hi." Rory said simply. Jess looked like he was about to say something, then closed his mouth. There was a silence between them for a minute or two.

"Hi." Jess said back. More silence. All Rory could think in her mind was, _'Wow, this is so much more awkward then I thought it would be…'_

"I'm sorry." Jess said suddenly. He put his hand on the book shelf and leaned on it.  
"I'm sorry for leaving," he continued. Rory felt tears prick at her eyes.

"You hurt me. You didn't say goodbye or anything." She looked down and wiped her eyes, hoping he wouldn't see, "And then you came back suddenly and told me _you loved me_.. then ran off, Jess! You took off again!"

Jess clenched his teeth shut and looked at her.

"I meant it Rory. I still do!" He took a step closer to her and looked into her eyes.

"Look, just tell me now, do you want me back in your life?" Jess asked her, his face serious. Rory hesitated and thought hard. She did want him back.

Jess waited for her to answer, and when she didn't right away he turned to go.

"Wait! I do." She cried, taking a step forward. Jess turned and looked at her. Instead of saying anything back, and leaned in and kissed her. Rory didn't pull away, for it felt so right. For the first time since Jess had left, she felt complete again.

**[A/N Thoughts? Hopefully will get another chapter up soon. I'm going camping next week, so I'll try to get it up before then. Please use the review button! )**


	5. Chapter 5

Lorelai was coming home from a days work. The Inn was almost ready. Also, her and Sookie had came up with a great idea for a test run, inviting Stars Hollow residents to stay the night. There were just some minor things that had to be done before the test run.

The only other 'big day' coming up for her was Liz's wedding, which was the next day. She was _really_ looking forward to it! First, she needed the long-overdue break, and second, it would be her first date with Luke Danes.

She had everything planned out. Her hair, her dress, her makeup. Every night she had excitedly looked through her wardrobe to find the perfect outfit, and every time she came out with the same dress. It was a light green, with darker green vines and light pink flowers. Rory had found her a crown made of flowers and leaves. She just couldn't wait!

Thinking of the date, and Luke, Lorelai glanced at her watch. Twenty past nine. Meaning Luke's was officially closed, but might still be cleaning and could open up for her.

Lorelai walked towards the entrance of Luke's. Before actually going in, she peered through the window to see if he was there. No sign of Luke. She was about to knock, when Luke wandered out of the kitchen sweeping. Expect he looked like he was dancing kind of. Swaying to music.

At first she was confused, then it dawned on her. He was practicing, for their date. He was practicing for her. She smiled lightly to herself at the thought. _'How sweet..'_ she thought, as she continued to watch.

SPACER.

At nine pm, Luke said goodbye to the last customers and flipped the _'open'_ sign to _'close'_. He dimmed the lights to show he was closed to outsiders, before he started to clean.

It had been pretty empty at the Diner today. Lorelai had only stopped by once, in the morning and he had spent the rest of the day wishing she would come back again. No such luck.

Luke wiped down the tables, then put up the chairs. He cleaned the kitchen, and washed the coffee machine. Then he grabbed a couple coffee mugs to put away.

He was handling three mugs in one hand, all by the handle, not very safe. He crouched down to put the mugs away, and sure enough he dropped one.

_'Crack!'_

_'Damn!'_ Luke thought. This was just one of those days he would rather just forget about. Nothing extremely great had happened, and he had been grumpy.

As he stood up, Luke saw the black cell he had got from Lorelai. It was weird, he hated the cell phone, because he just didn't like cell phones, he wanted her to call. Luke pushed the thought away, and got back to cleaning.

He tidied up the broken bits of the mug, and threw them out. Then he took the broom and started to sweep the Diner. As he swept, he thought of the next day. His date with Lorelai. He could hardly wait. Finally, he was getting what he wanted most. Luke hoped she was as eager as he was.

Luke thought about dancing, and how it would be nice to dance with Lorelai. He hadn't dance it… oh… well, years! What if he danced horribly? What if he embarrassed her?

It freaked him out just to think out it. He wanted this date to be _perfect_. Without thinking, Luke started to dance, with the broom. He swayed with it, out into the Diner, into the open.

SPACER.

The bell above the door rang as Lorelai entered, and Luke immediately stopped.  
He knew it was Lorelai. Who else would be coming in past closing?

_'Of course,'_ Luke thought,_ 'She's now seen me doing something completely embarrassing and will cancel.'_ Luke turned to look at her. She was grinning at what she had saw. He hoped she hadn't been there long.

"Oh, my god Luke!" She said, still smiling. Lorelai placed her purse on a flipped up chair and coming closer to him.

"You were dancing…" She said, as Luke gave her a easy, nervous mile.

"Practicing…" he said, like he had been practicing the manliest thing on earth, "You know. For tomorrow." He rolled up his sleeves and glanced over at her.

Lorelai opened her mouth, like she was about to speak, then closed it. She had an idea. Lorelai walked over to Cesar's radio, and turned it on to a slow song. She turned to Luke, and leaned against the counter for a moment, watching him.

He did the same thing, and stood there, watching and waiting for her next move. She came closer to him, their eyes still on each other. Slowly Luke took Lorelai's hand, and put his other on her waist. Lorelai blushed at the touch of his hand and then she moved her free hand to his shoulder. And they danced.

Throughout the song they were quiet, but their eyes never left each others face. As they waltzed, Lorelai smiled lightly at him, which made Luke smile back at her.

The song seemed to last forever, but when it did end, they didn't want to leave each other. Luke looked at her, and thought about how beautiful she was. And how much he just wanted to kiss her…

Lorelai saw him leaning in, and instantly thought to herself, _'Whoa! That's Luke about to kiss me… '_ But she didn't resist, she couldn't. She closed her eyes and her lips met his.

The kiss was soft, and passionate, and sent goose bumps traveling up and down Lorelai's body. As they were kissing a fast song came on, and Lorelai wrapped her arms around Luke's neck, still kissing him. They stumbled backwards, and ended up against the counter. They broke apart, in much need of air. The two were breathing deeply and had their foreheads together, looking down on their bodies, thinking about what had just happened.

_'Oh wow,'_ thought Lorelai, _'Luke… me... kissing! And him... wow… he's… just… __**wow**__!'_

Then Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in towards him. They looked into each others eyes, and then Luke kissed her. The kissing continued for a while, until Lorelai broke off and started to unbutton Luke's flannel shirt. She fumbled with them for a minute or two, but couldn't seem to unbutton them all.

"Damn buttons…" muttered Luke, undoing the rest.Lorelai looked up at him, with a small smile.

"Why can't you wear regular shirts?" She asked jokingly.

"Don't like the flannel?" He asked back, finishing with the last button.

"Well..." She started, slipping off the shirt, dropping it to the floor. "Flannel on you _is_ pretty sexy… just really hard to get off, you know?"

Luke smiled down on her, as she ran her hands across his tank top, exploring. He lifted her chin up and kissed her, leading Lorelai towards the curtain door. As they walked Lorelai started to slip off his tank top.

"Arms…" she said, breathing heavily. He raised his arms for her to slip of the tank top, then continuing kissing her. Luke's hands ran up and down her back, and then slowly he lifted the bottom of her shirt, and continued with his hands, only on her skin this time. Lorelai bit her lip at the touch of his hands against her skin. It felt _so_ good…  
They pulled back for air and Luke slipped off her shirt. He stood there, his mind running like crazy.

How did embarrassingly dancing with a broom end up with him making out with Lorelai and seeing her in her white lacy bra? Only in his dreams, Luke thought. Yet here he was.

Lorelai grinned, and looked at him.

"Like what you see…?"

Luke crushed his mouth against hers, then pulled back and looked into her blue eyes.

"Definitely." He whispered.

He kissed her again then lead her upstairs. They stopped at the door, and looked at each other. Lorelai leaned her body against his.

"You sure you want to do this?" Luke whispered.

"You're telling me, that you want to think it this over, and not stay the night…?"

Luke grinned and kissed her lightly and opened the door, leading her in.

SPACER!!! 

The bookstore had just closed, and Jess was coming going back to the diner. He came up to the door, and went to get the key from over the door when he noticed most of the lights were on. Jess tried the door. It was open.

_'Strange…'_ thought Jess. He closed the door, and locked it for Luke. He walked around the counter to get a drink. Jess examined the room from behind the counter. Broom was still out, lights on, cleaning cloth out… and someone's purse on a flipped up chair.

_'Definitely not Luke's,'_ Jess thought to himself. He walked towards the kitchen when he slipped on something. He gripped onto the edge of the counter.

"What the…" he mumbled and stood up. Jess looked down to see Luke's flannel shirt.

"Aw jeez…" Jess said, thinking aloud. He walked over to curtain, noticing a tank top on the ground. Jess walked up some more steps and noticed more clothing. A blue shirt.

_'Like Lorelai's…'_ he thought quickly. Luke… Lorelai? He knew Luke had been pining for her but when did _this_ all happen?

Jess paused on the steps. Did he _really_ want to go up further and see what was going on in the tiny apartment? Nope. Not at all. So he headed back downstairs. Quickly and quietly he cleaned up and left Luke a note.

_Luke,_

Didn't want to interrupt whatever  
you were doing, so I went to Rory's.  
Don't worry, it will be totally innocent.  
I'll be on the couch, unlike you.

Jess

He taped it on the door, outside of the apartment. Then he grabbed his bags, and a coffee for Rory, then locked up the place and headed over to Rory's.

SPACER!

Rory looked up from her book. The doorbell had just rung. She glanced at her purple fuzzy clock Lorelai had bought her; it was just past ten. Who would be coming around this late?

Rory got up and went to the door. She opened it to see Jess, reading from his book. Instantly a smile came to her face, as he looked up.

"Hey," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. They pulled back.

"Hey!" She said happily. She stepped back, and he came in. Jess slipped off his shoes and she took his hand, led him into the living room. Rory turned and looked at him, still smiling.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Came to see you." Rory grinned happily, making Jess smile slightly. He handed her the coffee, which in reply Rory put her hands on his neck and kissed him.

"Your sweet," she said simply, sitting down on the couch. She pulled him down with her. Rory sat the coffee down on the coffee table.

"Your perfect," Jess muttered to her, kissing her neck. Rory looked at him, then pulled back slightly.

"But seriously, won't Luke worry if your not home soon. And my mom…" Rory glanced at the clock. "She should be home soon."

Jess stopped kissing for a moment to say something. "I doubt she'll be home tonight. That's also why I need a place to stay." Then he kissed her neck and ear, as Rory thought.  
Then she put them together.

"Oh!" she cried, "Luke and my mom?" Jess looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah."

"Whoa…" Rory said, sitting up. Jess pulled back and sat up too.

"What?" he asked her, confused by the puzzled look on her face.

"You know… if they got married or anything… we'd…" She pointed from him to herself. "We'd be cousins!" She finished. She had a freaked out look on her face. The kind you get when you realize you boyfriend could be your future cousin.

"Well," Jess said, looking at her, "You can't think that way. We're not blood related so who cares."

"I guess…" But instead of continuing with the subject she let it go, and drank her coffee.

"Mmhmmm," she said, sipping it. "This is good!"

"You think _all_ coffee is good." Jess chuckled and put his arms around her.

"But _this_ coffee," Rory said, pointing to the cup, "is extremely good!"

Jess kissed her softly on the lips and then looked at her. She looked back at him, then finishing her coffee, she snuggled in his arms, soon to fall asleep.

** It's been so very long! Well, kind of. So, thoughts? I like this chapter. I started this chapter before camping, then finished it after. We had to come back earlier because my grandpa's sick. (  
Anyways, please REVIEW! I'll read & review your stories! Sound like a pretty sweet deal, eh? P Okay, well I'll try to get crackin' on chapter 6 asap. Liz's wedding will either be in the next chapter, or the one after that. Okay, remember to **_**REVIEW!**_** You'll be my best friend. )  
Also may be starting another story soon. I have a new idea! Yay!**


	6. Chapter 6

Sun beamed through Luke's flowery curtains. It hit Lorelai's eyes as she opened them. She groped for her frilly blanket, before remembering she was at Luke's. She sat up, and look around. Lorelai was alone in the small apartment, her clothes were in a pile on a nearby chair.

_'Luke must have cleaned up…'_ Lorelai thought. She wrapped the bed sheet around her, and walked over to her clothes. Once she had her skirt and bra on, she grabbed her shirt and went into Luke's bathroom.

It was a tiny room, with peeling blue paint. The toilet, sink and shower were white, and there was a worn out rug beneath Lorelai's feet. Clearly Luke didn't care about décor. She pulled on her wrinkled blue top and adjusted it to fit comfortably. Lorelai used the small mirror to fix her hair, then she rushed back out into the apartment, just as the door opened.

Luke entered, wearing one of his famous flannel shirts, and closed the door behind him.  
He made his way over Lorelai, who stood still, waiting for his next move. Luke brushed his lips against hers, and pulled back, looking for her reaction. She grinned and pressed her lips onto his.

"Hi," whispered Luke, into Lorelai's ear.

"Hi," she replied, smiling.

"Last night…?" He started questioningly.

"Was amazing," she finished for him, leaning her forehead against his.

"I thought so too…" Lorelai giggled in response, pulling him by the shirt towards the bed. He kissed her again, as she unbuttoned his shirt. Lorelai fell back on the bed, Luke soon to follow.

"You really need to get a bigger bed Luke…"

"You really need to shut up," Luke told her in a hushed voice, kissing her. She put her hands on his neck and pulled him closer.

"Ah geez!" cried a familiar voice. Luke and Lorelai broke apart quickly and turned around, to see Jess standing there.

"Jess!" Luke said, "What are you doing here?" He stood up, buttoning his shirt again. Lorelai pulled her shirt down and smooth out her skirt before joining Luke.

"Well, I live here, for starters. Clearly you don't care, as I had to sleep over at Rory's,"

"What?" butted in Lorelai.

"Don't worry, we were innocent…" Jess said, sitting down. "Anyways, Luke, you got some hungry customers down there. I'm going to start getting ready. T.J will be coming over soon. So be glad I came in when I did."

"Oh my god! What time is it?" Lorelai asked, turning to Luke.

"11:30, sorry, I let you sleep in. I should have woken you earlier."

"Aw, Luke it's okay," she said smiling at him, "We didn't get much, well, you know." She glanced over at Jess, who was now chopping on a apple and reading, seeming unaware that they even were there.

"Well, I better go. I have to stop at the Inn, then go get ready." Lorelai edged towards the door.

"Yeah, I better, well, get downstairs."

"Can I have coffee?" She smiled her prettiest smile for him. Luke was in to good of a mood to even argue or list the reasons why she shouldn't drink coffee.

"Sure," he said, kissing her on the lips, "Come on, let's go downstairs." They walked out together, and downstairs.

"So, just a coffee?" He walked around the counter, and Lorelai sat on a stool. 

"Hmm, maybe a Danish… and a donut! And pancakes! Wait," She sat there, thinking of what she felt like. "Two coffees and Danishes. For Rory." Lorelai smiled, watching him work.

_'And he's mine…!'_ Lorelai thought to herself.

"Here you go," Luke said, handing her a bag and two coffees. Lorelai stood up and sipped her coffee.

"Angel!" They stood they gazing at each other for a moment, before Kirk interrupted them, asking Luke a question about his eggs.

"Bye," mouthed Lorelai, creeping out of the diner quietly. Luke smiled and gave a small wave, before going back to ignoring Kirk.

"Rory! I brought coffee!" Lorelai called into the house. She slipped off her shoes and walked into the kitchen, where Rory's books had overtaken the table.  
"Hey," she said, peering into Rory's room. Rory was lying on her bed, concentrating hard on yet another book. Rory smiled, seeing her mom and got up to greet her and the coffee in her hand.

"Thanks!" She said, sipping the coffee. "Mhmm…"

"And a Danish!" Lorelai said happily, holding up the brown paper bag with _Luke's_ written on it.

"Ah! You're my favourite person!" Rory cried, smiling at her mom. 

Lorelai giggled, and led Rory into the kitchen, sitting down. She handed Rory her Danish, as she joined her.

"Oh sorry about the books," she said, biting into her Danish. "Anyways,… Mom! You slept at Lukes!"

Lorelai looked astonished, "How did you – oooh, Jess told you?"

"Yeah, he came, stay over, said you too were… busy." Lorelai grinned, thinking of her night. 

"So!" Rory cried, breaking her thoughts. "What does it mean?"

"Well… I don't know yet. I can't see Luke as the 'dating' type." She sipped her coffee and looked at Rory for an answer.

"Remember, he went out with Nicole." Rory pointed out. Lorelai nodded in response. She brushed her hair back and finished off her Danish.

"Okay well I have to get ready for the wedding. I'll have to got to the Inn later. What are you going to do?"

"Originally, read. But Jess invited me as his date." She finished the sentence off beaming. "Finally I have someone to go on dates with! Or use excuses like, 'Oh, sorry I have to go somewhere with my boyfriend,' and not have them respond, "You have a boyfriend?'"

Lorelai laughed, and stood up. "Well what are you wearing?" She headed for Rory's room. Rory followed.

"I'm thinking my pale blue summer dress… and a crown like yours. I whipped one up." She showed Lorelai her vine crown.

"Well aren't you nifty?"

Rory placed the outfit on her bed and sat on her bed and glanced at Lorelai.

"What time's the wedding?" asked Rory, "I forgot what Jess said."

"Ummm, soon. I'm meeting Luke in a half an hour. I'd get ready. I'll be upstairs, I'm going to shower. And _then_ I have a date with Luke, the hottest man alive." She giggled. Rory smiled at her. "You look happy. Happier then I've ever seen you."

"I am kid, I really am." Lorelai gave her a genuine smile, before heading upstairs. Rory grabbed her book and flipped open to her page. But she couldn't concentrate, she too, was happy. Happy with Jess. She grinned to herself, thinking about him. How good it was to have him back, back in her life. That was when she realized how much she had missed him. Missed talking about music, the latest book they were reading or the weirdest Kirk had done lately.

Instead of continuing with reading, she placed her book down and put on her dress. She twirled around, thinking of what Jess's reaction would be. She placed the crown on and looked at herself. Starring back at her was a happy girl.

The Gilmore girls walked up to the door of Luke's, where Luke, came out. He was dressed in a suit, and his hair done back.

"Hey girls," he said coming over to Lorelai and Rory. He stepped back to fully look at Lorelai.

"You… wow. You look… stunning!" He stuttered to get the words out. Luke kissed her quickly on the lips and nodded to Rory. She smiled awkwardly back.

"You look really good too Luke," Lorelai said, kissing him. He grinned and put his arm around his waist.

"Jess is coming, by the way," He quickly said to Rory.

"Oh, yeah I was hoping," She said with a small laugh, just as Jess exited from the diner. He strode over to the group, tidied up in a suit and his hair also done. Clearly he had used a lot of gel, but Rory liked it that way.

"Hey babe," she said as pulled her towards him. He kissed her and grinned.

"Hey." She smiled up at him and turned to Luke and Lorelai.

"Shall we go?" She asked. They nodded, clearly not listening. They were just gazing into each others eyes. Then the two happy couples walked off to Liz's, for a night of dancing and enjoyment.


End file.
